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Periscopes

Swatscope SSC-DC Soft Sling Case (Desert Camo)

Swatscope SSC-DC Soft Sling Case (Desert Camo) ($29.95)

This is the SWATSCOPE® Soft Sling Case in a nifty desert camouflage pattern. When you are out and about, the aluminum case that houses your SWATSCOPE® could be somewhat unwieldy. For stealthy maneuvering, or discreet transport, the soft sling case is your answer. The sling case is designed much like an archers quiver. It literally slings across your back, over your shoulder, while the top remains open. You can easily reach around and grab your SWATSCOPE® when you need it. You'll be ready with a moments notice, when you carry your SWATSCOPE® in a sling case.

Click here for more information. (SWSSCDC)

Swatscope SSC-B Soft Sling Case (Black)

Swatscope SSC-B Soft Sling Case (Black) ($38.95)

This is the SWATSCOPE® Soft Sling Case in stealthy midnight black. When you are out and about, the aluminum case that houses your SWATSCOPE® could be somewhat unwieldy. For stealthy maneuvering, or discreet transport, the soft sling case is your answer. The sling case is designed much like an archers quiver. It literally slings across your back, over your shoulder, while the top remains open. You can easily reach around and grab your SWATSCOPE® when you need it. You'll be ready with a moments notice, when you carry your SWATSCOPE® in a sling case.

Click here for more information. (SWSSCB)

Swatscope DVA2220 Digital Camera Adapter

Swatscope DVA2220 Digital Camera Adapter ($149.00)

The SWATSCOPE® DVA2220 digital camera adapter allows you to connect your digital camera to your SWATSCOPE®. With this device, your surveillance device becomes part of a high quality digital imaging system.

If your lens in use has a 52mm filter thread, you will not need any additional accessories. If your lens has a filter thread larger than 52mm, you will need a stepdown ring which begins with your lens filter size and ends with 52mm. If your lens has a filter size which is smaller than 52mm, you will need a stepup ring which begins as your filter size and ends as 52mm.

Click here for more information. (SWDVA2220)

Swatscope SNVA4440-ITT Night Vision Adapter for the ITT PVS-14

Swatscope SNVA4440-ITT Night Vision Adapter for the ITT PVS-14 ($159.95)

This is the SWATSCOPE® SNVA4440-ITT, a night vision adapter for the PSV-14 night vision monocular manufactured by ITT. Now you can use your SWATSCOPE® at night, or in low-light, for surveillance. This adapter is simple to use and install. One side screws into the 30mm threads on the front of your ITT-PVS-14 monocular, and the other side couples to the SWATSCOPE® via set screws on the outside of the device. Now you're ready to observe, in the dark, with your SWATSCOPE®.

Click here for more information. (SWSNVA4440)

Swatscope SSVZ-1 4-9x Tactical Periscope (Standard Version)

Swatscope SSVZ-1 4-9x Tactical Periscope (Standard Version) ($205.95)

The SWATSCOPE® is a surveillance periscope built for law enforcement and military use. This hand-held periscope has a variable 4-9x power zoom, and a 22.5" (57 cm) slide bar. There is also a flashlight and camera adapter that allows your periscope to be used in the dark to clear buildings, attics, or to provide an image back to a command center. All this can be accomplished while you remain out of harms way.

The SWATSCOPE® is made of a high quality aluminum alloy, with high quality polished glass prisms and glass lenses. The eyepiece housing and detachable handle are made from high impact, lightweight plastic. The rubber eye cup can be folded back for use with glasses. This is the standard version of the SWATSCOPE®, which features a belt hook accessory for easy transport.

An extendable slide bar provides 22.5 inches of height advantage and the 4-9x lens allows you to switch from a wide field of view to a tight close-up on your target. The included belt hook provides hands-free carrying, and when you are not using your periscope, it stows safely in a rugged aluminum protective case. The SWATSCOPE® comes complete, ready to use, and keep you safe. It is genuinely one of the most economical and versatile surveillance devices on the market today.

Click here for more information. (SWSSVZ1)

Swatscope SSVZ-COM 4-9x Tactical Periscope (Combat Version)

Swatscope SSVZ-COM 4-9x Tactical Periscope (Combat Version) ($229.95)

The SWATSCOPE® is a surveillance periscope built for law enforcement and military use. This hand-held periscope has a variable 4-9x power zoom, and a 22.5" (57 cm) slide bar. There's also a flashlight and camera adapter that allows your periscope to be used in the dark to clear buildings, attics, or to provide an image back to a command center. All this can be accomplished while you remain out of harm's way.

The SWATSCOPE®is made of a high quality aluminum alloy, with high quality polished glass prisms and glass lenses. The eyepiece housing and detachable handle are made from high impact, lightweight plastic. The rubber eye cup can be folded back for use with glasses. This is the combat version of the SWATSCOPE®, which features a lock down slide bar, tripod mount and a nylon sling case.

An extendable slide bar provides 22.5 inches of height advantage and the 4-9x lens allows you to switch from a wide field of view to a tight close-up on your target. The included belt hook provides hands-free carrying, and when you're not using your periscope, it stows safely in a rugged aluminum protective case. The SWATSCOPE® comes complete, ready to use, and keep you safe. It is genuinely one of the most economical and versatile surveillance devices on the market today.

Click here for more information. (SWSSVZCOM)

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Astronomy: Mini FAQ

Why does the moon turn red during a lunar eclipse?

You can credit Earth's atmosphere with providing an orangish color to the moon during an eclipse. The atmosphere acts like a filtered lens. It bends red sunlight into our planet's shadow and scatters out blue light. It's the same reason why sunrises and sunsets appear reddish. If Earth were an airless planet, its shadow would be pitch black and the eclipsed moon would be invisible.

If you were an astronaut standing on the moon during totality, you would see Earth eclipsing the sun. Earth would appear as a dark disk surrounded by a brilliant red ring?our atmosphere glowing with the light of all the planet's sunsets and sunrises. It's this light that we see bathing the moon during totality.

What causes the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, arise when charged subatomic particles (protons and electrons) from the sun react with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere. The sun continually releases these particles in a discharge called the solar wind. Earth's magnetic field captures some of the particles, collecting them in doughnut-shaped magnetic regions called the Van Allen belts. The solar wind normally sweeps around Earth's outer atmosphere. As it does, it builds up a charge of more than 100,000 volts between the magnetic field and the atmosphere. This forces some of the charged particles out of the Van Allen belts and funnels them into the atmosphere at the north and south magnetic poles. The ions spiral downward, exciting the gases they encounter into a glowing frenzy.

Because this stream of solar particles is continual, people living near the north and south magnetic poles can see an aurora on nearly every clear night. To see these at lower latitudes, we need a large solar storm, or flare. When the sun has a major eruption it releases huge quantities of charged particles, creating a "gust" in the solar wind. When the particles reach Earth, they swamp the Van Allen belts and pour into the atmosphere. The huge influx of particles creates an awe-inspiring display that can pulsate and shimmer along Earth's magnetic field lines.

The most common type of aurora is a curtain of green caused by charged particles hitting oxygen atoms some 60 miles high. Slower particles that don't travel deeply into the atmosphere cause red aurorae by hitting atoms 120 miles up. Green aurorae with red fringes are a mixture of the two. Highly energetic particles can travel deeper into the atmosphere to create a red base to the common green curtain. These particles are reacting with nitrogen some 45 miles up.

If there is a black hole in the middle of our galaxy, approximately how long will it be until Earth is pulled in?

Surprisingly, not even our distant ancestors will have to worry about this less-than-appealing fate. According to Newton's law of gravity, the pull of a black hole depends only on its mass and its distance from us. A black hole at the center of our galaxy would have no more effect on us than a huge star cluster having the same mass.

In the same way, if a black hole with the sun's mass replaced our sun, Earth would continue to orbit the black-hole sun just as it does now. (Although it would quickly get a lot colder!) A black hole's reputation for immense gravity comes from the fact that you can get much closer to it. A black hole with the sun's mass would be only a couple of miles across?compared with the sun's 864,000-mile diameter?and that factor of about 100,000 translates into a 10 billion-fold increase in the gravitational pull near the surface of such a black hole.

How can I find out how far away a particular star is?

Tables listing distances (among other data) for bright and nearby stars are readily available in The Observer's Handbook, published each year by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Distances for many thousands of stars, bright and faint, can be found in volume 1 of Sky Catalogue 2000.0.

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